Skirmish, Lebanon was a Civil War engagement fought in Kentucky, 1863.
The Battle of Lebanon occurred July 5, 1863, in Lebanon, Kentucky, during Morgan's Raid in the American Civil War. Confederate troops under Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan fought for six hours to overcome the small U.S. garrison before moving northward, eventually riding through Kentucky, Indiana, and much of Ohio before surrendering.
On July 5, 1863, fighting broke out at Lebanon, Kentucky, as part of the campaign known as Morgan's Raid during the American Civil War. Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan led Confederate forces in a struggle lasting six hours before they subdued the modest Union garrison stationed there. Afterward, Morgan's column pushed northward, eventually crossing through Kentucky, Indiana, and a large portion of Ohio before its eventual surrender.
The raid began on June 11, 1863, when Morgan set out from Sparta, Tennessee, leading 2,460 Confederate horsemen westward. His goal was to pull Union attention away from the Army of the Ohio while Confederate units held their ground within the state. Twelve days later, on June 23, the Union Army of the Cumberland launched its campaign against Gen. Braxton Bragg's Confederate Army of Tennessee, an effort that became known as the Tullahoma Campaign. In response, Morgan altered his course and turned his cavalry north. By July 2, his men had forded the swollen waters of the Cumberland River near Burkesville, Kentucky. Two days later, on July 4, Union troops from Michigan repelled Morgan's forces at the Battle of Tebbs Bend along the Green River. Following this setback, Morgan pulled back and swung westward, setting his sights on Louisville, a city he believed to be only lightly guarded.
It was at Lebanon that Morgan caught the Union garrison off guard and seized control of the town. Given almost no warning, Lt. Col. Charles S. Hanson, whose brother Roger Hanson served as a Confederate general, scrambled to organize his defense. He positioned some 350 to 400 troops from the 20th Kentucky Infantry behind whatever cover could be found quickly, including overturned wagons, makeshift barricades, and fences. Once his forces reached the town, Morgan sent word demanding Hanson's surrender, but the Union officer turned him down. Vastly outnumbered, Hanson's pickets were soon driven back through Lebanon's streets by the advancing Confederates. A number of Union soldiers found themselves cornered inside the dep
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